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Today, I’m closing a chapter in what has been my favorite blogging experience. I’m sad to say, that our beloved Poop (my dad) passed away in March very suddenly. Today would have been his 63rd birthday. To honor him, I’ve created, with the help of my family, the final Poop’s Scoop. So without further ado, I give you…

63 THINGS POOP WOULD WANT YOU TO KNOW!

If you liked today’s post, please share it and let me know what you think of these 63 bits of wisdom in the comments. Do you have a favorite?

Well, you’ve heard from him before, but allow me to introduce my dad, Jerry (a.k.a. Poop, as his girls have lovingly nicknamed him). Poop has been around the entrepreneurial business block and he’s here to share some tips about how to have a great day!

You’re going to want to bookmark today’s Poop’s Scoop! If you’ve ever been in a slump or feel overwhelmed, just follow these 7 steps and you’ll be on your way to turning your day around! So without further ado… I give you, Poop’s Scoop!

1. Tell yourself that you’re gonna have a great day!

Look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re gonna have a good day… and believe it! Do it twice! Do it throughout the day. If you don’t do this, you may end up having a bad day and not even realize it.

2. Make a list of the 10 most important things to do.

Jot down a list of the 10 most important things you’ve got to accomplish. Start working on this list and focus on crossing off the most important items. Don’t try to attack all 10 things at once. Focus on one. Don’t deviate from the list. You may only cross 4 things off the list. If you don’t get to something on your list, never lie and don’t make excuses. Admit that you got stuck or that you’ve fallen behind. Clients will more than likely be understanding if you’re striving to give them excellent service. Always tell the truth. No one can argue with the truth.

If there’s something scary on the list (ex. paying taxes / IRS woes) get it off your list! Take care of it! A problem starts as a circle. Knock these things off the list when they are small circles. If you don’t take care of it, those circles grow into bigger circles, bigger problems. You know in your gut what you’ve got to take care of. If you attack these problems, you’ll feel so much better about yourself.

3. Turn off distractions.

Be careful of all of your devices. Shut ’em down. How serious are you about getting your work done? You’ve got interruptions, but don’t go there. It’s hard to stay focused when you’re looking at something that has nothing to do with what you’re trying to accomplish.

People might listen to you, but nobody likes it. No one wants to be around it. Don’t go there. Don’t be that person. Don’t feel sorry for yourself.

5. Budget your time.

Limit useless conversations. Think of a football game. Some teams can make a touchdown in seconds and some teams can play a whole game and never score.

6. Focus on what you’re good at.

Get back to the core of what you’re good at. Only you know what that is. Get back to your passion!

7. Take a 15 minute walk.

A walk will help to clear your mind. The only thing you have in your life are your thoughts. A brief walk can become a habit. This is time to focus on your passion. No agenda… just allow time for yourself. Get off the merry-go-round for a minute. Feel the zest of life!

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Let me know what you thought of this post in the comments below and don’t forget to sign up for e-mail updates as well! Until next time…

Allow me to introduce Jerry Geroulis, my dad! My sister and I have lovingly nicknamed him Poop. Poop owns an auto-body repair shop with his brother, Sam and lots of employees. I grew up watching the story unfold… from my parents not being able to afford junk food (my great-grandma would supply my mom with potato chips), carpooling with a station wagon that was lucky to make it up hills and my dad working all hours just to make ends meet. Today, my dad owns his dream home, buys trampolines on a whim for his granddaughter and is my #1 source of inspiration and advice.

We’re tackling a tough topic today. Quitting. Yeah, you don’t like thinking about it, but I just know the thought has probably crossed your mind. I talked with Poop tonight about his thoughts on quitting:

Q: How many times did you feel like quitting before you became successful?

A: I was eating lunch with my brother in the back of a Subaru and we talked about how we could make more money flipping hamburgers even after three years into the business. We never had that conversation again.

Q: And the next time you felt like quitting?

The fire department came in and let us know that we needed an air-system that would cost $300,000 to install. I replied, “I’ve never heard of a fire in a body shop in this county.” The response, “Well, we don’t want one.” That was a time that I was gonna walk out of that shop and never walk back in.

As it turns out, like everything else, you take life one day at a time and things work out. Don’t panic. Go with your gut.

Q: What if you go with your gut, but you feel like your gut is betraying you?

A: No, that’s not possible. Not possible. You just didn’t stick it out. Go with your gut. It will always work.

Q: What if your gut has put you in debt?

A: That’s okay. That’s what makes the world go ‘round. I was always in debt. Always. Starvation mode. To start the business I sold the Corvette I completely restored.

Q: Mom chimes in with a question: What about having supportive spouses?

Spouses are not necessary. Just kidding… gotcha there! (my mom pretends to hit Poop with a frying pan and calls him an ass, for a really fun interview party bonus!). But, sometimes the people closest to you can unknowing hurt you because they don’t have the same drive that you have. So be careful who you share your dreams with.

Q: What if you think you’re failing?

Stick it out.

Q: And while sticking it out… what should someone do to motivate themselves?

Well, I do believe that after you’ve tried everything there’s no reason that you can’t treat yourself to something, whatever that may be. There’s no one who’s going to come out of the woodwork and pat you on the back. You used to get a pat on the back at your other job… but that pat on the back is so expensive. You’ve paid dearly for somebody to tell you, “Good job, worker!” But you don’t need that pat on the back. You reward yourself by your achievements and they aren’t gonna come overnight. It’s so slow.

Q: What if someone does all the right things? Working hard, learning, rocking their business… but has no money to show for it yet?

Then I say to you, you haven’t done it long enough. We live in this world of instant gratification. Everything happens at its own pace. You have to wait for it.

You just work harder. You hit it harder. You go after this thing with a vengeance. You live and die by it. You’ve made this commitment to yourself. You don’t give up. Keep on keepin’ on. Make it happen. Because you’re smarter than that.

The easiest thing is to quit and throw up the white flag and go back to work for somebody else. But you’ll never be happy. You’re always gonna have that feeling that you let yourself down. But it’s out there. It’s out there. Keep plugging along even if it seems impossible. It will happen. Don’t give up.
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Let me know what you thought of this post in the comments below and don’t forget to sign up for e-mail updates as well! Until next time…

Allow me to introduce Jerry Geroulis, my dad! My sister and I have lovingly nicknamed him Poop. Don’t even ask how it came about because I totally forget. I love my dad and lots of people who know him think he’s QUITE a character. He also happens to be a pretty successful small business owner and the guy I can count on for awesome advice. And while it may take 3 hours of story telling to get to the heart of the message, it’s always something good.

So, I’ve done everyone a favor and asked my dad some questions in a new blog series I’m calling POOP’s SCOOP! Do you love it? Yeah, funny. I’ve interviewed my dad, tossed the fluff, and I’m sharing his advice with you. So here goes.

Q: What advice do you have for someone starting their own business?

A: Do something you love. Something you’re passionate about, but not your hobby.

Q: How do you know the difference between a business and a hobby?

A: Your gut! Go with your gut! You have to always go with your gut!

Q: How long do you give a business before you hang it up?

A: Your whole life! Everyone is cut out to do something that they’re good at. I truly believe that. You’ve got to be good at something. (insert stories of Thomas Edison and Colonel Sanders, which you can Google, but I’ll spare you)

Q: Is it hard work to have your own business?

A: Uhm. I think because you’re passionate about it, it is hard work, but you don’t think of it as hard work. If you’re watching the clock, you can’t do it that way. You don’t even think about it being hard, you’re just doing it because you’re passionate.

Q: How do you know if you have a burning desire?

Well, that’s something you have to ask The King (as in Elvis). I said a hunk-a-hunk of burnin’ love! Poop says burning desire! Even if you have 1,000 failures… you never give up on your dream. There’s probably a little insanity there. People thought Henry Ford was insane.

Q: How do you start?

Look at people who are successful. Success leaves clues. You’re not gonna start on top. If you’re gonna start a pizza company and you have a burning desire to do that… go to the best pizza place and start by sweeping the floors until you find out the tricks! Every business has tricks.

Q: What did you sacrifice to be in business?

Everyone in business has made a sacrifice. I sacrificed my time. That’s what you’re giving up. Time where you’re learning the hard knocks of what it takes to be successful. But if you keep putting out good, there’s no way it’s not gonna come back.

Q: Any other gems to share with the group?

You can’t take advice from other people when they’re squashing your dreams.

Let me know what you thought of this post in the comments below and don’t forget to sign up for e-mail updates as well! Until next time…